NEW YORK, November 14. /TASS/. American aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford will approach the shores of Venezuela within a few days, AP reported.

The arrival of the aircraft carrier marks a significant US military buildup in the region, the agency said. On October 24, the Pentagon said it was deploying it to the area of responsibility of the Southern Command of the US army - it includes Central and South America and the Caribbean region.

Earlier, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Pentagon was launching Operation Southern Spear to combat drug cartels. It will be led by the Southern Command of the US army, as well as a compound specially created for this operation.

On November 1, The Washington Post reported that the United States was building up a group of troops off the coast of Venezuela to combat drug trafficking. It said this group includes eight warships, a nuclear submarine and a special purpose vessel. According to CNN estimates, the US has destroyed about 20 boats off the coast of Latin America in recent months under the pretext of combating drug smuggling, killing almost 80 people. After at least one of these strikes, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said that the American operation had killed a fisherman, not a drug dealer, from his country.

Washington accuses Venezuela of not actively fighting drug smuggling. According to The New York Times, Trump allowed the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. The American media has repeatedly reported that the United States may soon begin attacking drug cartel facilities in Venezuela. However, on October 31, Trump said he was not considering attacks on the Venezuelan territory.